A multifactorial approach and method for assessing ergonomic characteristics in biomedical technologies

The ergonomic assessment of healthcare products is becoming regulatory, but current state of art relies on checklist of end-users interview about general or limited aspects. Ergonomics deals with the human as a whole and as a part of a more complex system; instead the assessment of objects and products is often treated separating the different components of the interaction: physical, sensory, cognitive. This research aims to develop an integrated method and a protocol for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of ergonomic features in healthcare products. The integration of methods for a global and more comprehensive ergonomic assessment can be used in a proactive way in the early stages of development. Basic methodological approaches refer to biomechanics and product usability assessment techniques. The first one is based on the measurement of angular excursions of the joints associated with the implementation of the human motion detectable in dedicated laboratory; the second method rely on direct observations and on site experiments supported by questionnaires/interviews to quantify ease of use and user satisfaction by means of special scales of assessments.
The methodological approach here proposed is aimed to integrate ethnographic analysis, biomechanical analysis, and cognitive usability assessment within a multifactorial approach for the evaluation of ergonomic characteristics.